I have just returned from Honduras and, as always, I found that even though this was my 14th trip, God still has lots to teach me. Some may feel that with our failure to get water, the trip was unsuccessful. They would be so wrong.

The village of Tablencita is one of the poorest villages I have been to and in dire need of water. I worked with the children on the front porch of a house on the side of a mountain owned by a grandmother named Maria. Every day a man with his donkey came by and made the long trek down this mountain side to a spring. Curious, we decided to follow him. He was kind enough to slow his pace so that we could keep up with him over this rocky, uneven descent, and after a very sweaty, arduous ordeal we came to a spring where Pablo started filling his water cans. His donkey carried 3 cans on his back weighing 120 pounds each, and unattended started back up the path while Pablo followed with a 4th container on his shoulders. I was exhausted after one trip down and back even though I made the trip empty handed. Pablo and his donkey made 2 more trips while I was recovering on Maria’s porch. I had adventurously decided to make this trip one time … Pablo has no choice. He makes it at least 3 times a day, every day. And to make this story even more heart breaking, this water he laboriously carries up the hill every day was tested and found to be polluted

My school on the porch included 14 children who were excited and appreciative to have markers and scissors to work with. We read Bible stories, learned hygiene lessons and made crafts. With a tooth brush, comb, shampoo and soap for each child, we taught dental and personal hygiene. Checking teeth, we were shocked to discover almost all of the children had teeth that were eaten away with decay. Most of the children’s hair was infested with lice so on one exciting day we took our 14 students to the women’s health and hygiene class and had a much needed hair washing day. Something as simple as soap and shampoo made such a difference in their appearance and something so easy to give, our love and attention, made such a difference in their attitude. We may not have been able to bring them clean water on this trip, but we brought them the comfort of knowing someone cares and hopefully a taste of living water.